Belvoir Harrogate celebrates thirty years in business

“Belvoir Harrogate, which is located on Princes Square, Harrogate, has existed as a lettings agency in the area since 1994,” said Barrie. “The business was originally founded by my dad Bill Smith, when it was part of the Copleys Property Management franchise network. Belvoir bought out Copleys and in 2004 we rebranded to Belvoir. I have been with the business for twenty years, and we have certainly seen a lot of changes in the sector since then, including the tenant fee ban, increased rules and regulations and of course the pandemic.

“When my dad started the business there were no agents that specialised in lettings, but then the credit crash happened in 2007 and a lot of estate agents began introducing lettings, so competition is now fierce. However, we have survived and thrived, and long may it continue.

“We have six team members including me, and the rental market in the area is very good, although like all agents we need more properties. We still focus purely on lettings, which is something of a USP for us, and we get lots of good reviews, so we know we are getting things right. We have been really busy so we didn’t have a huge celebration or party, but we certainly enjoyed some champagne and a special cake in the office to mark the occasion of our thirty year anniversary.

“I would say that being a Belvoir franchise and having access to all the support from Central Office, including marketing, tech support and of course the ability to network with other franchisees, has been key to our success.”

Belvoir Group CEO Dorian Gonsalves said: “I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to Barrie and the team at Belvoir Harrogate on this fantastic achievement. For a franchise to be entering its fourth decade as a successful business is testimony to the commitment and hard work of Barrie and the team, and of course a special mention must go to his dad Bill who started the business back in 1994.

“Belvoir Harrogate is now a proven, long-term, profitable business and a great example of how franchisees have the opportunity develop a valuable asset over the years that they can eventually sell or hand on to other family members. Everyone in the Belvoir Group would like to congratulate Barrie and wish him every success for the next thirty years.”